What Does Kendal Coleman Commitment Mean for LSU Basketball?
LSU basketball officially has a man on board for the 2022 season with the recent commitment of Northwestern State transfer Kendal Coleman.
The addition of Coleman is significant for a number of reasons, not the least of which is landing a really talented player. Coleman averaged 15.4 points and 10.1 rebounds a contest as a sophomore and was top 10 in the country in double doubles with 17. The only player in the SEC to average a double double during the 2021-22 season was Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe.
What makes Coleman such an intriguing prospect as he makes the move up to the SEC is his ability to use his athleticism to his advantage. He's a menace on the boards but watching a little bit of film, it's easy to see there's some unlocked potential in his game.
Northwestern State liked to use Coleman as kind of an undersized big last season but there's definitely some room to expand his game from a shot making and transition perspective. Coleman can get out and run with the best of them and should have ample opportunities in the up tempo style Matt McMahon wants to play.
It would be unfair to make any comparisons but Coleman's 16 point, 13 rebound effort against the Tigers just last season was a strong indicator he could fit in well with this program and compete at a high level against other SEC program. At the time, LSU was playing elite level defense and Coleman had little to no trouble making an impact. On the defensive end, Coleman's 40 blocks would've led the entire Tigers team last season.
But like McMahon mentioned in his opening press conference, the Coleman addition means much more from a buy in perspective than anything else. It was always going to be an uphill climb to get players on this current roster to stay, which is why the transfer portal acquisitions are likely far from done.
McMahon was able to sell Coleman on a vision here, one where he will be able to develop as a player even if that means the program will be in the NCAA dog house for one or two years. What McMahon and LSU will hope for now is that the buy in of one player will help spark a ripple effect to others in the portal or on the current roster.
Two of McMahon's top players at Murray State, guard Justice Hill and forward KJ Williams, have both entered the transfer portal and will be names to keep an eye on moving forward. Any kind of recruiting win at this point would mean a lot to the start of building this foundation for the program.
"That's the most important thing here and we've hit the ground running," McMahon said. "We're gonna invest a lot of time with our players. I want people who want to be here, want people who want to be a part of something special because that's what we're gonna build here. My favorite part of the job is not only seeing the best player they can be but the best man they can be. It's my responsibility to grow leaders here at LSU and that's what we're gonna work to do."
There will no doubt be more additions and subtractions in the coming weeks that McMahon will have to balance but getting even one player to come aboard with all of the uncertainty around the program should be viewed as a win.
